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Dear DWC Members, I would like to thank the DWC for allowing me to serve as Chair. I am truly honored to be selected to such a prestigious position. I have been an active member with the Division on Women and Crime since 2002, and I will remain a dedicated member for life. This organization has truly been an inspiration for me as a person, as a professional, and especially as a woman. My first meeting with the DWC was very exciting. It was the first time that I have ever been star struck and could truly say that I was meeting women that I aspired to being like. In 2002, I was trying to decide if I would continue my membership with the ASC or move to another organization, but I found the DWC. That year, I attended my first DWC breakfast meeting and attended several DWC activities. I felt so welcomed and inspired from so many accomplished and truly caring people. I have been dedicated to serving the DWC ever since. When I was first asked to accept a nomination for the position of Chair, quite honestly I was very nervous because I knew I would have very large shoes to fill. I joined when Joanne Belknap was Chair. Joanne was truly an inspiration as I was using her book from my Women, Crime, and Justice class. She was followed by Susan Sharp who accomplished the DWC's first (and very successful) journal, Feminist Criminology. Then I had to fill the shoes of the wonderful and very capable Sharon Love. Sharon continually reassures me that the DWC is so efficient and made of up so many dedicated women that it practically runs itself. Joanne, Susan, and Sharon continue to be support me both personally and professionally. As a member, I have come to know women within the DWC who have provided mentorship in all areas of professional development, whether is it surviving tenure, publishing, or giving courage and support. This is what the DWC is about. Providing a place for women; whether we are referring to the inclusion of women as worthy of study within criminology or women as academicians and professionals, the DWC has been a very strong voice in the field of criminology. At first, I was apprehensive that I could be a Chair worthy of such a great organization. However, as Chairs before me have reminded me, the DWC is a strong organization that runs itself. And it truly does. However, as Chair I will continue the efforts of so many women before me to encourage members to continue their wonderful activities with the DWC and I will continue to thank those women who have given so much to the DWC. As I have received so much from this organization, I want to ensure that others will receive the same mentoring and inspiration that I have. I want to stress the need to reach out to students to encourage their participation but also to extend mentorship as they are not only the present but also the future of the DWC. I want to also encourage more established women in the field to continue to extend professional mentorship to those women who are just getting started in the field, whether it is in academia or in non-academic positions. I want to encourage continued activities on DWC committees. As I do believe that the DWC runs itself, I do not kid myself into believing that we can sit back and relax. So I encourage you all to become more active within this organization and make, or continue, lifelong friendships in the process. Again, I thank you for allowing me to serve as your Chair and I look forward to serving you. Venessa Garcia, Chair Division on Women and Crime Kean University Department of Criminal Justice 305-I Willis Hall Union, NJ 07083 Tele: 908.737.4302 Fax: 908.737.4232
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